I actually met Dayne in March of 2015 when he filmed the video for a past bride & groom’s wedding. For HIS wedding, said bride & groom stepped in to return the favor. I love getting to see past clients, and working alongside James & Chelsea over a year after their wedding was such a treat! A bigger treat was when Dayne introduced me to his fiancé (now wife!) Lauren, who is about the sweetest girl I’ve ever met. We hit it off from day one, and I thoroughly enjoy every second of working together in order to make their dream day come true.

Dayne is a UGA grad, and Lauren is an Auburn grad. They decided to do their engagement session on the University of Georgia’s campus since their wedding would be held at Auburn. They’re both huge football fans and their favorite date nights revolve around sporting events, which is fitting considering how they met…

Dayne & Lauren met at a SEC football game: Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Auburn Tigers. Lauren was tailgating with friends from college, and Dayne was working the game for local television. Dayne stepped away from the stadium to tailgate with some friends, and while intermingling between tailgates, he met Lauren. They immediately hit it off, he asked for her number, and they soon went on their first dinner date. Dayne had committed to doing a radio interview over the phone after dinner, but the date went so well that he & Lauren weren’t ready to end it… So Lauren ended up patiently & silently listening to Dayne do the interview before they continued their night together. And well, the rest is history.

Their New Year’s Eve wedding at the Hotel at Auburn University was perfectly adorned with sparkles & beautiful gold accents (as any NYE wedding should be!). One of the first obstacles we encountered when planning out the timeline for the day was the sunset time… In order to countdown at midnight with a balloon drop (which was SO fun), Lauren & Dayne held their ceremony at 8pm. But in Alabama in the winter, the sunset time was 4:45pm!! Therefore, almost their entire day was held after dark. However, Lauren told me that photos were the most important thing to her, and she wanted the bright outdoorsy photos that she saw in my portfolio, so she listened to my advice and was SUPER creative with rearranging her timeline. As soon as I arrived, we dove straight into her First Look with Dayne, giving us 1.5 hours before the sun would go down. I then took my typical “detail shots” after all of the portraits were taken — and after dark (this was a unique challenge for me, because I normally shoot details with daylight).

I can’t tell you how much it warmed my heart that Lauren & Dayne prioritized photos during their wedding day (after all, photos are what last!). What’s more impressive? It was actually 50 degrees, windy, & rainy during most of their day, but that didn’t stop them from getting outside for photos! I loved the classic fur that Lauren brought to throw on and off for pictures to warm up. And the hotel actually provided white umbrellas that the wedding party could use to stay dry. Everyone embraced the weather with awesome attitudes, and I LOVE how the photos turned out. As always, the best part of the entire experience for me was seeing Lauren & Dayne again for their in-studio Reveal, getting to hug them & watch them relive their day through the photos my team captured. THANK YOU, Lauren & Dayne, for making this job of mine such a joy and for trusting me with your memories.